patreilly43(at)hotmail.co
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 Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 10:18 pm Post subject: New Model IV |
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Lowell, Thanks for the quick detailed reply. I could follow the explaination. Did you make jigs that allow you to produce the gear? It seems that with the cost of Grove gear there would be a demand for your gear. Kits and complete gear sets might sell. I will wait for the remainding info. Where are you located? Will you attend Oshkosh this year?
Pat Reilly
Mod 3 582 Rebuild
Rockford, IL
[quote] From: lcfitt(at)sbcglobal.net
To: kitfox-list(at)matronics.com
Subject: Re: New Model IV
Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:43:58 -0700
--> Kitfox-List message posted by: "Lowell Fitt" <lcfitt(at)sbcglobal.net>
Pat,
I would be happy to help. I have a meeting to go to tonight and can give
some dimensions tomorrow. I'll tell give you a brief discription how I did
it. A friend gave me some basic measurements - height above the ground -
forward end of the forward mounting boltto the ground and the and track. I
then fixed the fuselage on a sawhorse level at that height and secured it.
I removed the tires and using the bare axles, I dropped a plumb line and
marked the floor exactly below the ends of the old tube gear. A line was
drawn through those line to give a fix on the wheel contact line in a fore
and aft direction. Then a plumb line down from the center of the fuselage
to give a center point on the wheel contact line. The total track was then
marked on that line to give the relative position of the ends of the axles.
I then used two lengths of 1X1X1/8" angle extending beyond the widest marks
on the line and welded a length of angle between them about 10" long. I now
had two parallel rails that were fixed to the floor with bondo with the line
between them. The plan is to use the rails to make fixtures on trollys that
fix the angle and location of the axles. Of angle iron and wood, I made
spacers about 1.3" high that rode on the rails essentially extending the
rail height that 1/3 inch. Then using tubing that exactly fit over the
axles, I welded up fixtures of angle iron that rode on the spacers to fix
the angle and location of the axle.
After the fixtures were finished. I removed the old landing gear, tapped out
the axles and using the fixtures without the spacers and mounted at the
appropriate distance on the rails positioned the axles at the desired
location for the new landing gear. The rest amounted to using the axles
mounted to the fixtures on the rails and the fuselage as a jig and cutting
and welding everything in place. Of course tack welding and then removing
to bench top height made the welding easier. I found that starting at the
axle and then working to the pivot points on the tops of the legs gave a
more accureate reslult given the warpage typical with welding.
The cabane strut was made pretty much the same way. I will send some detail
photos. For the spring strut, I used 3/4" .049 tubing and it wasn't until
after finishing the struts that I learned that the spring strut made for my
friend was 7/8 .049 tubing. These struts are commercially made and are
designed for airplanes heavier than the Model IV. I will stick with what I
have, but may go to the larger tubing if I make another set. The springs
themselves are available from Aircraft Spruce in their catalog. They are
heavy puppies and cost abour $90 per set.
I'll take a couple of photos of the jigs and track and send them also. Also
when welding up the final gear legs, I drilled and tapped holes in the jigs
through and into the tracks and placed bolts in them so nothing would move.
Questions - just ask. I doubt all this makes sense at first.
Lowell
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